


Tony Needs Hugggz

by AnonEhouse



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon Divergence - Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Civil War Team Iron Man, Crack Treated Seriously, Gen, Not Steve Friendly, Not Steve Rogers Friendly, Temporary Character Death, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-22 15:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12484908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonEhouse/pseuds/AnonEhouse
Summary: Zombie Tony is still an affectionate creature, and he needs hugs. But who is strong stomached enough to give him one?





	Tony Needs Hugggz

(If you are reading this on any PAY site this is a STOLEN WORK, the author has NOT Given Permission for it to be here. If you're paying to read it, you're being cheated too because you can read it on Archiveofourown for FREE.)

 

Pepper screamed in fury. Tony's grave had been desecrated, dirt flung everywhere, covering up all the Iron Man plush toys and flowers that people had added to the more dignified, but less Tony, arrangements after the funeral. She hadn't the heart to deny the people who really loved Tony, but she had wanted to have a private moment to mourn.

"PPPP..."

Pepper turned. Tony was standing there. Tony in his funeral tux, but more filthy than she'd ever seen him, gray faced and blank eyed. Tony shambled forward and tilted his head, as if the white film over his dead eyes could be shifted. "Pppprrr?" the zombie rasped. He held out his arms. "HUUUGGGZ?"

"Oh, God, oh, god, no. God... Tony..." Pepper giggled hysterically. "Tony, no. You... you need a shower."

Zombie Tony pouted. A piece of his lower lip fell off. "Nooo HUGGGZ?"

"Maybe later." Pepper backed away from Tony. "Let's... get in the car, and..." Where could she take him? Oh. Avengers Compound. It was empty. "We'll go somewhere safe. Where you can... rest and shower. And shower some more." She led Zombie Tony to the limo.

Happy screamed.

"HAPPPPPPP," Zombie Tony said, opening his arms again. "HUUGGGGZ?"

"Uh. No. Boss, no, that wouldn't be... you know. Just... get in the car." He opened the rear door and Tony shambled in, losing a finger in the process. Pepper got into the front with Happy and put up the divider between the front and back.

 

"Jesus, Tony," Rhodey said when he arrived at the compound in his wheelchair. "You always make things weird."

"HUGGZ?" Zombie Tony said, hopefully. An eyebrow twitched caterpillar-like before slowly oozing and falling off his face. The shower hadn't helped much. He was now wearing one of his black underarmor suits which bulged in weird places, like a Ziplock baggie full of stew.

"Uh, no man, no can do. Doctor's orders." Rhodey looked at Pepper. "We got a doctor, right? We can fix this?"

"Helen Cho tried using the Cradle, but it just..."

Tony waved his hand. The missing finger was back, along with several others, equally scabrous and rotting. "HUUGZ?"

"I admire your optimism, Tony, but that's not happening."

Tony sniffled and cried a little, loosening one of his eyes. "HUUGGGGZ," he said sadly, before sitting down squelchily to eat a pre-rotten cheeseburger, imported specially for him.

 

Vision was the only one who could stand to let Zombie Tony hug him. Tony moaned and clung to him and then pulled back. "COOOLD HUGGGZ," he said sadly. "NEEED WARRRMMM HUGGZ."

"I'm sorry, Tony," Pepper said. "I just... I can't. I'm not strong enough."

Zombie Tony's eyes brightened. Or possibly one of his maggots wriggled and caught the light. "STTTTEVE! STEVVVE WARM STRONG HUGGZ."

"God, Tony, he killed you! Do you really want a hug from him?"

Tony nodded. An ear fell off. "STEEVE HUGGZ."

Everyone knew the Avengers were hiding out in Wakanda. One of the Dora Milaje had a Tumblr dedicated to them. It wasn't flattering, but frequently it was funny. Since Wakanda had no extradition treaties, no one could touch them while they were there.

"Rogers cannot leave Wakanda," Vision pointed out.

"GO HUGGGZ STEEEEVE!" Tony insisted, getting so excited he lost a bit of tongue. Pepper was glad the Roombas were self-cleaning because bits of Tony were... disgusting.

"Tony," Rhodey tried to be practical. "Yes, we could go to Wakanda. King T'Challa feels really bad that he didn't stop to check that you were ok so I'm sure he'd let us in, but... Rogers isn't going to hug you."

"HUGGGZ STEEEVE!" Tony wailed. 

"God, this is pathetic," Pepper said. She got her phone out and called T'Challa. "Hello, your Majesty? Yes, Pepper Potts here. Would Rogers be willing to hug Tony in exchange for getting his shield back?" She waited a moment. A loud YES was shouted in the background. "Fine. We'll be there." She hung up.

"HUGGZ STEEEV?" Tony said hopefully.

"Yes!" Pepper said. She sniffled but had a lot of practice not crying lately. "Vision will fly us in the jet and Steve will hug you."

Tony smiled. His teeth were yellow and snaggly. Zombies don't floss so his breath was really bad, too.

 

King T'Challa met them at the landing site on the palace grounds. Rogers was standing next to him. "If you don't mind, I thought perhaps this meeting would be best outdoors," he said delicately.

Tony did stink, Pepper had to admit that. "That's fine." She held out the shield for Rogers to see and then pulled it back. "Hug Tony and it's yours."

"Yes, ma'am," Rogers said. He strode forward, bravely. "I am sorry you were hurt, Tony," he said. "It's a shame we couldn't agree, but you know... I had to stand up for what I believe in, just as you did. Do," he added at a glare from Rhodey. "I'm sure... that... you know, you can afford the best doctors. I'm sure they'll..."

"HUGGZ," Tony said impatiently. He spread his arms.

Rogers swallowed visibly, and moved to accept Tony's embrace.

"HUGGZ. WARM," Tony said with satisfaction. "SUPER SOLDIER WARM." And then he bit Steve's throat out. "NOM NOM NOM!"

Pepper screamed. T'Challa cursed. Rhodey wheeled his chair away from the arterial spray. Vision said to the Dora Milaje who were staring, wide eyed, "I do apologize, he's never done that before."

"NOM NOM NOM!" Tony kept biting and chewing and swallowing. Rogers stopped flailing after a few seconds. Tony dropped him like an empty Burger King sack. Tony's skin cleared up. His eyes turned back to their former brown. His hair regrew and styled itself.

He still smelled a bit squiffy, but even that was outer sludge. Tony grinned. "Thanks, Steve. I needed that." Then he burped.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a fic that was tagged 'Tony Stark Needs a Hug' but which had Tony dead even before the fic began.
> 
> And he stayed dead.
> 
> Dead Tonys aren't any fun.
> 
> In an odd turn of events, Tony ate something that disagreed with him, and it made him feel better. (I thought of this too late to put it in the summary, but couldn't resist adding it here.)


End file.
